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Iran Unveils Drones Armed with Air-to-air Missiles

Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location last April (AP)
Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location last April (AP)
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Iran Unveils Drones Armed with Air-to-air Missiles

Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location last April (AP)
Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location last April (AP)

Iran said it has reinforced its air defense capabilities by adding combat drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to its arsenal, state media reported on Sunday.

"Dozens of Karrar drones armed with air-to-air missiles have been added for air defense in all border areas of the country," the official IRNA news agency said.

The drones, with an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), were exhibited Sunday morning during a televised ceremony organized at a military academy in Tehran.

"The enemies will now have to rethink their strategies" because the Iranian forces have "become more powerful", IRNA quoted the commander-in-chief of Iran's army, General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as saying.

The Karrar interceptor drone, the first version of which was unveiled in 2010, has been equipped with a "Majid" thermal missile with a range of eight kilometres (five miles) "made entirely in Iran", added the agency.

It "succeeded in its operational tests" during military exercises held in October, Mousavi said.

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Bullets Purchase from Israel Rattles Spain’s Leftist Coalition

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez leaves after a press conference after a cabinet meeting held at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez leaves after a press conference after a cabinet meeting held at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
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Bullets Purchase from Israel Rattles Spain’s Leftist Coalition

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez leaves after a press conference after a cabinet meeting held at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez leaves after a press conference after a cabinet meeting held at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 22 April 2025. (EPA)

A decision by Spain's Socialist government to backtrack on a promise to cancel a contract to buy bullets from an Israeli firm drew a rebuke on Wednesday from its junior coalition partners, with some allies threatening to withdraw support.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority government has struggled to pass legislation since securing a new term by cobbling together an alliance of left-wing and regional separatist parties in 2023.

On Tuesday, Sanchez angered far-left junior partner Sumar after unveiling a plan to boost defense spending.

Spain, a long-time critic of Israel's policies in the Palestinian territories, pledged in October 2023 to stop selling weapons to Israel over its war with Hamas in Gaza and last year widened that commitment to include weapons purchases.

Sumar, a platform of left-wing parties that controls five ministries led by deputy premier Yolanda Diaz, said on Wednesday the ammunition purchase was "a flagrant violation" of the agreement it had made with the Socialists to form a coalition.

"We demand the immediate rectification of this contract," it said in a statement.

The Interior Ministry said last October it was canceling a contract worth 6.6 million euros ($7.53 million) to buy more than 15 million 9-mm rounds from Guardian LTD Israel.

On Wednesday it said it been advised by the state attorney that breaking the contract would have meant paying the full amount without receiving the shipment.

Guardian LTD Israel did not immediately comment on the decision.

Izquierda Unida (United Left) lawmaker Enrique Santiago, whose party is part of Sumar, suggested there were legal grounds to cancel the contract without paying but that even "a breach of contract of only about six million (euros) will be applauded by the whole country".

Asked if IU could abandon the coalition government, he told reporters: "We are currently considering all scenarios."

Before the news of the ammunition contract broke, Diaz had said her group disagreed with the increase in defense spending, particularly a plan to procure more weapons, but that the coalition was in good health and would see out the legislative term ending in 2027.